Background Office London opened in 1981 as a concession in the shopping centre Hyper Hyper. The first standalone Office store opened on King's Road in 1984, followed by more around the capital. Since then it has launched the Offspring and Poste brands, and now has 81 branches around the UK and in Ireland, as well as concessions in larger shops and a website. The company is privately owned.

What it sells Shoes – for men, women and children. The store stocks its own label footwear alongside big brands such as Converse, Ugg and Dr Martens.

First impressions The shop is on the second level of Chester's famous rows but is easy to spot from the main street. It's not very accessible – all the approaches have steps – which would have been off-putting if I was on my own, as we had a pushchair. The front of the shop was very narrow, but the window display packed a lot in – primarily big-brand shoes and the more flash Office numbers, all with prices next to them. From the outside looking in the store looked clean and bright and decked with lots of colourful trainers.

What were the staff like? Very helpful. Once I was in the shop and had a chance to look around a lady came over and asked if she could help. She did the traditional shoe-shop trick of disappearing into the back room with the shoes I wanted to try on, then emerging with someone else's, leaving me struggling to remember if she was the person I had given the shoes to or someone who looked similar. When my shoes eventually emerged she was really helpful: knowledgeable about the products, sizing, etc. She even gave me a few tips on how the young people are wearing their trainers these days (in a way that didn't make me feel old).

Where can I pay? There's one till at the back which isn't staffed permanently, but had I wanted to buy the shoes I tried on – one pair didn't fit and the other didn't look right – the staff member helping me would have been able to serve me swiftly as there was no queue.

Is loyalty rewarded? There's no card or loyalty scheme, but as with many retailers if you link with Office on social network sites or download the smartphone app you can enter competitions.

Lasting impressions This was a nice, bright shop with a good range of shoes for men and women. The trainers were all together, rather than split into male and female sections, which I like, and there was a good mix of "going-out" shoes and ones you could wear for work. Converse dominates though, so if you want a large range of trainers you may need to go elsewhere. The staff were friendly and helpful and, importantly, they had both the styles of shoe I wanted to try in a size seven (anyone of non-average shoe size will appreciate how exciting this is).

Background Soletrader and its more upmarket sister shop Sole are owned by the Hemel Hempstead-based Twinmar Group. There are more than 30 Soletrader branches around the UK, which operate alongside outlet stores and branches of Sole. Its website says it has been selling shoes for 50 years, but further details are very thin on the ground.

What it sells Shoes for men, women and children – some from its own SOLE brand, many from big names such as Ted Baker and Converse.

First impressions The shop is set in a lovely building on the corner of a busy street – prime position. The structure of the building, with pillars interrupting window views, means it isn't as easy to get an idea of the full product range as it is at Office, but there are screens alongside the shoes that catch your eye. On first entering the store you walk into the men's section, where there are dark-wood shelves holding various styles of black and brown formal shoes. As a female customer it is a bit off-putting. The women's section is at the back and seems quite small in comparison to the men's range.

What were the staff like? When we walked in there was a salesperson tinkering with a screen on a stand designed for customers to browse the Soletrader website – it's not clear that she's a member of staff at first. She doesn't offer to help but is very polite and efficient when I ask to try on two pairs of shoes. She comes back to say that one is only available in a size eight plus; I ask if that's because they are men's and she says yes, but doesn't suggest any alternative in the women's section. She then has a conversation with her colleague about Converse's sizing, but neither of them offer me any practical suggestions like trying a different colour, size or style. It's nice not to get the hard sell, but I think they could have been more helpful.

Best bargain I failed to find a sale rack in the shop. On its website Soletrader is offering women's Blowfish Texas boots for £29 down from £59.99.

Where can I pay? There was one till but no one staffing it, which didn't matter as there was no one paying at the time. As in Office, had I wanted to purchase the shoes I was trying on I could have paid straight away.

Is loyalty rewarded? No.

Lasting impressions Cooler music aside, this wasn't as appealing as Office: it felt darker and more like a men's shoe shop. There immediately seemed to be less choice than at Office, and for a size seven wearer it turned out there really was. I was impressed by the amount of seating and by the fact the shop still had those moveable mini-ramp-things for you to put your feet on when trying on shoes (a bit of a blast from the past), but it lacked the fun feeling of Office. Perhaps male shoppers would like this one better; please tell us if you do.

Overall rating 6/10.

Last week

Gap was the clear winner when it took on Next in the battle of the basics, winning 67% of the vote. The stock, rather than customer service, was key.

"reeeeks of clothes for office workers – there is absolutely nothing there of any real class or style, just plenty of polyester trousers, sensible square shaped T-shirts and jeans that are so high waisted even Simon Cowell would give them a wide birth, and the shoes..........plastic and boring – all in all just dull dull dull!!"

While Gap offers

"good quality, classic wardrobe essentials that don't make you look 20 years older then you are".

romannosejob agreed with the sentiment (and 55 people agreed with him), saying:

"Gap is a credible fashion retailer, bottom end of the price range but credible none the less, some of its stuff is fairly nice. Next is the store front of a tatty catalogue, almost all the clothes it sells are utterly hideous."

However, some felt Gap was pricey, and others felt its clothes lacked a certain something. Lambanana said:

"Gap is dreadful. It sells the type of Jeans Jeremy Clarkson loves. It aims at the blender. Blending in and being bland."

Let us know which of today's stores you favour, or leave a comment if you are not a fan of either or think another store offers better choice or prices.